Aircraft model
CESSNA 172H
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The 1967 model and the last Skyhawk built with the Continental O-300. It introduced the shorter, softer nosegear oleo that made the aeroplane less prone to the wheelbarrowing that earlier 172s were known for, which is a genuine handling improvement rather than a sales point. Role is unchanged — training, local flying, short trips, two adults comfortably.
If you want a Continental-powered 172, this is the one to want, because it is the most developed of them. Everything else follows the family pattern: cheap to acquire, easy to maintain in the airframe, expensive in the engine relative to its 145 hp. Many H models have been re-engined with a Lycoming under STC; that is generally an improvement in both power and supportability, but it must be documented properly and it changes the weight and balance paperwork. Check the nosegear and firewall carefully on any 172 with a training history.
Compare with…
Put CESSNA 172H side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA 172H
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental O-300-D |
| Horsepower | 145 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1967 |
| Production end | 1967 |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 108 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 520 nm |
| Service ceiling | 13,100 ft |
| Climb rate | 645 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 41 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,525 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,250 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,010 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 776 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,300 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,290 lb |
| Usable fuel | 39 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 8.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $45,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $150,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $30,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $42,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 1,375 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 780 |
| Median year built | 1966.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 33 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 7 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 42.311 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 33.332 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 195 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 253 |
| Airworthiness directives | 8 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 780 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 780 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 780 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 4.2 of 101 |
| Severity | 2.8 of 102 |
| Access | 7.3 of 103 |
| Support | 8.7 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 8.4 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 31.4 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 28.36 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 11.65.
- Access: class median 767.75.
- Support: class median 141.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.57.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.